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What does a public health assistant do?

Updated January 8, 2025
6 min read

Public Health Assistants will require good communication, teamwork, initiative, interpersonal, problem-solving, and analytical skills for this career choice, as well as a strong work ethic and the ability to be flexible and adaptable. Applicants can expect a payout of around $34K per year in this career choice, which will also require a diploma or GED, plus a master's degree in public health, after which they will be required to improve individual and societal health by monitoring healthy lifestyles, as well as practice preventative measures for injuries and disease and controlling infectious diseases. Their health concerns range from small communities to the entire planet.

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Public health assistant responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real public health assistant resumes:

  • Monitor / enforce OSHA standards and coordinate / lead daily, weekly, and monthly safety meetings to educate staff.
  • Adhere to all Hippa policy.
  • Adhere to HIPAA policies and procedures.
  • Fax medical records and various documents following strict HIPPA guidelines and regulations.
  • Note and report safety hazards discover on patrol and stand by until condition is redirected.
  • Research and identify activities and specialize diets that will help elderly diabetic patients improve their metabolic health.
  • Offer therapeutic services and crises intervention to emotionally disturb older adults and elderly people living in the retirement and rehabilitation home.
  • Submit a report to CDC officials that communicate final project outcomes.
  • implement, and evaluate chronic conditions programs that target diabetes, stroke, and hypertension.

Public health assistant skills and personality traits

We calculated that 12% of Public Health Assistants are proficient in NYC, School Health, and Patients. They’re also known for soft skills such as Technical skills, Analytical skills, and Detail oriented.

We break down the percentage of Public Health Assistants that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • NYC, 12%

    Performed hearing and vision testing according to prescribed procedures to students throughout the NYC Public School system.

  • School Health, 10%

    Recorded test results in school health files and transcribed doctor reports on the medical records.

  • Patients, 10%

    Researched and identified activities and specialized diets that will help elderly diabetic patients improve their metabolic health.

  • Phone Calls, 7%

    Answered telephone calls promptly and courteously before transferring to the appropriate staff.

  • Data Entry, 7%

    Performed data entry into the Cornerstone system of program-related data and information.

  • Health Education, 6%

    Conducted home visits and health education sessions for expecting mothers and also coordinated the B'more Fit community obesity prevention project.

Common skills that a public health assistant uses to do their job include "nyc," "school health," and "patients." You can find details on the most important public health assistant responsibilities below.

Technical skills. The most essential soft skill for a public health assistant to carry out their responsibilities is technical skills. This skill is important for the role because "medical assistants should be able to use basic clinical instruments so they can take a patient’s vital signs, such as heart rate and blood pressure." Additionally, a public health assistant resume shows how their duties depend on technical skills: "provide technical assistance to administrators, nursing supervisors and health officers. "

Analytical skills. Many public health assistant duties rely on analytical skills. "medical assistants must be able to understand and follow medical charts and diagnoses," so a public health assistant will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways public health assistant responsibilities rely on analytical skills: "collected, analyzed and interpreted population health data organized community health education forums"

Detail oriented. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of public health assistants is detail oriented. This skill is critical to many everyday public health assistant duties, as "medical assistants need to be precise when taking vital signs or recording patient information." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "collect detailed medical history from patients. "

Interpersonal skills. For certain public health assistant responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "interpersonal skills." The day-to-day duties of a public health assistant rely on this skill, as "medical assistants need to be able to discuss patient information with other medical personnel, such as physicians." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what public health assistants do: "cited for excellence in interpersonal communications, teamwork, customer service, flexibility, and reliability. "

See the full list of public health assistant skills

The three companies that hire the most public health assistants are:

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Compare different public health assistants

Public health assistant vs. Md

A Doctor of Medicine or MD is the designation of a person who completed medical education. Generally, MDs focus on the treatment of conditions in need of medication. These doctors do health assessments, prescribe medication, run diagnostic tests, treat patients, and offer health and wellness advice. Among their health specialties are in the areas of neurology, gynecology, and dermatology. They may also perform surgery when necessary. All these are made possible with their knowledge and skills in medicine.

The annual salary of mds is $36,578 higher than the average salary of public health assistants.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both public health assistant and md positions are skilled in patients, vital signs, and hippa.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, public health assistant responsibilities require skills like "nyc," "school health," "phone calls," and "data entry." Meanwhile a typical md has skills in areas such as "customer service," "surgical procedures," "surgery," and "patient care." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

Mds tend to reach similar levels of education than public health assistants. In fact, mds are 0.9% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 4.5% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Public health assistant vs. Medical internship

When it comes to a medical internship, one of the primary duties is to attend to the patients' needs while under a more experienced physician's supervision. During this period, the medical interns must rotate in various fields of specialties or departments for exposure. Aside from learning and observing, there are also instances when medical interns are required to produce necessary reports and documentation, communicate with patients and families, and take part in more challenging cases.

Medical internship positions earn higher pay than public health assistant roles. They earn a $12,410 higher salary than public health assistants per year.While the salary may differ for these jobs, they share a few skills needed to perform their duties. Based on resume data, both public health assistants and medical interns have skills such as "patients," "vital signs," and "computer system. "

Each career also uses different skills, according to real public health assistant resumes. While public health assistant responsibilities can utilize skills like "nyc," "school health," "phone calls," and "data entry," medical interns use skills like "patient care," "surgical procedures," "surgery," and "ekg."

Medical interns earn lower levels of education than public health assistants in general. They're 5.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 4.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Public health assistant vs. Medical specialist

Medical specialists are responsible for diagnosing patients and performing medical procedures according to their areas of expertise. They coordinate with the clinical team on administering medications, conducting laboratory examinations, and monitoring admitted patients, ensuring that they receive high-quality care services from the medical staff. A medical specialist also communicates with the patients' families to respond to their medical inquiries and concerns, as well as providing them with updates on the patients' progress. A medical specialist observes the cleanliness and orderliness of the facilities at all times, including the inspection of medical tools and equipment for operations.

An average medical specialist eans a higher salary compared to the average salary of public health assistants. The difference in salaries amounts to medical specialists earning a $1,844 higher average salary than public health assistants.By looking over several public health assistants and medical specialists resumes, we found that both roles require similar skills in their day-to-day duties, such as "patients," "phone calls," and "data entry." But beyond that, the careers look very different.

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a public health assistant is likely to be skilled in "nyc," "school health," "health education," and "public health programs," while a typical medical specialist is skilled in "customer service," "patient care," "utilization management," and "medical management."

Medical specialists typically earn similar educational levels compared to public health assistants. Specifically, they're 4.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Public health assistant vs. Medical assistant/phlebotomist

Medical assistants/phlebotomists are medical personnel who execute administrative and clinical tasks in healthcare facilities or units. They are responsible for providing healthcare to patients such as immunization administration, orthopedic supplies, and wound care. It is part of their job to take the blood of patients for blood testing. They also take charge of handling other medical tests for the upkeep of patients' health. These professionals should exhibit compatibility, initiative, and cohesiveness within the team.

Medical assistant/phlebotomists typically earn lower pay than public health assistants. On average, medical assistant/phlebotomists earn a $4,759 lower salary per year.While their salaries may vary, public health assistants and medical assistant/phlebotomists both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "patients," "vital signs," and "computer system. "Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. A public health assistant uses "nyc," "school health," "phone calls," and "data entry." Medical assistant/phlebotomists are more likely to have duties that require skills in "customer service," "blood pressure," "office procedures," and "venipuncture. "The finance industry tends to pay the highest salaries for medical assistant/phlebotomists, with average annual pay of $35,745. Comparatively, the highest public health assistant annual salary comes from the non profits industry.medical assistant/phlebotomists reach lower levels of education compared to public health assistants, in general. The difference is that they're 8.9% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 1.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of public health assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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